National Republican., 1887-01-03

the proprieties of the sick room, and said |;
give Dayboles n chair" Godfrey Kneller
spent his last hours on earth in drawing a
diagram OF his own monument. Compare the
silly and horrible departure of such men with
the seraphlc glow on the face Of Edward Pay
son, as be said in his last moment "The
glory" Or. with Paul. tho apostle, who said
In his last hour: ~ am now ready to be Of
iered up,, and the time of my departure is at
hand. ! have fought the good fight. have
kept the faith. Henceforth, there Is laid up
for me crown OF Righteousness which the
Lord, the Righteous Judge, will give me-" Or
compare u with the Christian death6ed that
you witnessed In your own household. oh,
my friends, this world is a false god 1t will
consume you with the blaze in which 1t ac-
eepts your sacrifice, while the righteous shall
be held In everlasting remembrance; and
when the thrones have fallen, and the monu-
nents have crumbled and the world has
peIished, they shall banquet with the con-
qnerors OF earth and the hicrarchs of heaven.
This Is good day in which to begin Il new
style OF measurement How old art thou
You see the Christian way of measuring life
It TO you to say which Is the wiscst and best
way. The wheel of time has turned very
swlilly, and Il has hurled us on. The cid year
has gone. The new year has come For what
you ana have been launched upon It. God
only knows.
Now, let me ask you al: Have you made
any, preparation for tie future? You have
made preparation for time, my dear brother
Do you wonder that when that man ON the
Hudson river, In indignation, tore up the tract
which was handed to him, and Just one word
landed on his coat sleeve-the rest of the tract
being pitched into the river-that one word
aroused his soul? 1t was that one word, so
long, so broad, SO high. SO deep, eternity ! A
Cali 4 baekIh They said : What DO '4So You
want?" 'Time," she said "cail II back %
ON. ON. nno y cannot be DC called back We might lose
nnrhans wa
might lose our good name aud get that back /;
but time gone Is gone forever.
Some OF you during the, past year made pre-.
paratlon Tor eternity, and II makes no differ
ence 10 you really as to the matter of safety.
whether you go now or go some other year
whether this year or the next yesr., Both your
you. You can say: "God is our refuge and our
strength very present nelp." You are on
INC rock, and you may defy AL earth and hell
you great joy. IT is a happy new year to you
can see no sorrow at all in the fact that our
years are going You hear some people say
would not want to 20 back again to boy hood.
! am afraid might make worse life out of 1t
than have made. You could not afford to go
ysS, DaSk 70 to boyhood II It We're possible. You
future.
To all Christians 1t is a ime of glsdness. !
am sS a wears ase going Yoa are coming
up with the thought. Nearer aome!
NOW, when one can sooner get TO the G53,er
OF things, Is he not TO be congratulated? Who
study God In this world by tho biblical photo
graph Of Him, but we all know we can ia five
minutes of interview with a friend get more
accurate idea Of him than we can by studying
him hlty years through pictures or words The
little child that died at six months OF age
knows more Of God than all Andover, and ali
PIinceton. and al New Brunswick, and all
N mil nj fnutt tI..tIa
In Chrlstendom. Is 1t not better to go up to
the very headquriers of knowledge?
Does not our common sense teach us that 1t
Is better TO be at the center than to be clear
out on the rim of the wheel. holding neryously
fast to the tire lest we be suddenly hurled into
light ard eternal felicity Through all kinds
through the cracks and keyhoes of heaven =
afrnid that both doors of the celestial mansion
VIII be swung wide open before our cntrancei
yi'ion-rushing about among the apothecary
shops OF this world, wondering II this is good
FOR rheumatism, and that Is good for neural-
gla, and something else Is good for q bad cough
lest we be suddenly ushered into land of
SAYS II am sick"
What fools we all are TO prefer the circum-
ference TO the center. WHAT dreadful thing
i would be II we should be suddenly ushered
from this wintry world into the Maytme or.
chards of heaven, and IL our pauperlsm of sin
and sorrow should be suddenly broken up by
presentation of an emperor's castle surrounded
by parks with springing foun tains and paths,
up and down which angels Of God walk tvs
and two.
We are like persons standing on the cold
steps OF the national picture gallery In London,
under mbrellas In the rain, afraid to 20 In
amid the Turner'S, and the Titlans, and the
Raphaels. come TO them and say. "Why
say, I'VE don't know whether we can get in!h
! say. Don't you see the door is open?'
YES" they say, "but we have been so long on
we don't like to leave" "But,n / say, at Is
so much brighter and more beautiful In the
gallery, ! ou had better 80 in" "No," they